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USA and Belgium advance through World Cup knockouts, will face off in Seattle

USA v Bosnia and Herzegovina Round Of 32 FIFA World Cup 2026
USA v Bosnia and Herzegovina: Round Of 32 - FIFA World Cup 2026 SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - JULY 01: Malik Tillman #17 of the United States celebrates with team mates after scoring his team's second goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match between USA and Bosnia and Herzegovina at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium on July 01, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Charlotte Wilson/Getty Images) (Charlotte Wilson/Getty Images)

Team USA is coming back to Seattle!

The United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0, while Belgium had a dramatic 3-2 comeback victory over Senegal at Seattle Stadium, sending both teams through the round of 32 knockout stage on Wednesday.

The USMNT will now face Belgium in Seattle for a spot in the 2026 World Cup quarterfinals for the first time in 24 years.

The matchup between the USMNT and Belgium in the round of 16 is a repeat of the 2014 tournament in Brazil, when the teams clashed in the same round. Belgium won 2-1 in extra time, with all three goals scored after the 90-minute mark.

At Seattle Stadium on Wednesday afternoon, Belgium staged a remarkable comeback to beat Senegal 3-2 in extra time. Senegal had a 2-0 lead with just five minutes of regulation time remaining, but late goals by Romelu Lukaku and Youri Tielemans pushed the match into extra time. Tielemans completed the comeback by scoring a penalty in the 125th minute of the game, the latest goal in World Cup history.

Hours later, the USMNT punched a ticket back to Seattle after beating Bosnia-Herzegovina 2-0 in Santa Clara, California.

Team USA survived the final 30 minutes of the match with only 10 men after Folarin Balogun picked up a controversial red card in the 64th minute. Balogun snagged the first goal for the U.S. just before halftime, but will now be suspended for the match against Belgium, forcing Team USA to forfeit its leading striker.

Malik Tillman scored the second goal with a free kick, and Bosnia-Herzegovina was unable to claw its way back, advancing the USMNT to the Round of 16 as celebrations erupted across Santa Clara, Seattle, and the country.

Team USA and Belgium will now face off in a World Cup rematch at Seattle Stadium at 5 p.m. on Monday. The match will be Seattle’s final World Cup game.

The winner will advance to the quarterfinals to face either Spain, Portugal, Austria, or Croatia.

KIRO 7 is following the lead-up to the game, including tickets, traffic, and watch parties, on kiro7.com/connecttothecup

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